Spiffy:

Iffy:

Easy to get lost in map; if you haven’t played any of the SOCOM series before, it's not looking newbie friendly.

SOCOM: US Navy SEALs is one of those really polarizing game series. Fans of it have made it one of Sony's most popular online titles for PS2. Critics loathe its lack of regulation on cheating and other bad behavior in contrast to Bungie's heavy-handed treatment of Xbox Live users who exploit Halo 2 for cheap wins. Either way, there's no denying that this third installment (and final for PS2) is going to blow the first two out of the water.

Rather than churning out sequels on an annual basis, Zipper Interactive really took its time with this one, waiting two years to tweak it, add to it, and ultimately work it out. And it shows. I wasn't fortunate enough to get a single-player demo, but I was lucky enough to get down to the meat-and-potatoes of what makes SOCOM such a beloved and top-selling series: the online gameplay.

Beta testing has its share of bugs here and there, and I had the occasional tough time getting online into a game. But that's something to be expected when you're not getting a retail copy, and a price you pay for the privilege of playing before the majority of the public. Having said that, once I was able to get onto the servers, my games ran lag free.

Speaking of which, the biggest addition to this third game is the ability to play 32-person matches smoothly. Two years between titles has allowed Zipper to do a lot, including double the number of players on a map. My first game put me in an unranked match against 16 other people. While teamwork wasn't happening with my squad (I spent twenty minutes running around the enormous map waiting to die -- I might as well have worn a bright orange prison jumpsuit with a target hat on), the fact that so many people can go head to head with no fear of slowdowns is no small feat, and is definitely commendable work on the part of the Zipper development team.

The beta is confined to one map, Harvester, which is in an Eastern European locale. In spite of the quantity of maps, the quality (read: size) more than makes up for it. In fact, the map is so sprawling that SOCOM novices will likely get lost, which can be a bit of a downer. Basically, it's a good thing that the single-player campaigns are going to be so extensive, because it's going to be hard for a newcomer to just jump into the online game without getting smeared left and right. In terms of multiplayer, this is going to be the game that truly separates the Admirals from the Ensigns.

Harvester is full of grassy terrain, which is great for hiding, and it really brings out a lot of the new features that are being incorporated into the game. There are a few abandoned farms, houses, and buildings around the stage which are perfect for sniping and setting up camp. One of the most striking visual elements is the giant windmill looming over the map, which makes for a great area for recon. There is also a bridge around the terrain that serves as a prime example of what's new for gameplay. Driving over the bridge with five other squad members can be exhilarating, but it can also be high risk.